Battle Lines Drawn
by The Pootamis
Summary: A choice had to be made. A choice that he has been dreading since the moment they have traveled to the future. Since the moment he has his first argument about his terminator protector. He could only hope his mind and his heart are in the right place with so much at stake.


This was it. A moment that he knew deep down that he would always remember forever. The moment when everything would change. The moment where battlelines would be drawn. A simple choice would need to be made. That he knew already. But never in a million years had he thought he would find himself in this situation. Never had he thought he would find himself looking into his protector's eyes as his mother pins her against another truck with her foot pressing down hard on the gas pedal. Never would have thought he would find himself being hunted by his protector. By the machine that deep down means so much to him. A machine all throughout the day has been hunting him and yet something had been off. Something about her behavior had been off as though she had been trying to fight against her programming. Much like how she has found herself in this predicament. She could have killed him. He just knew it. How her aim waivered at the last possible moment causing the steel bar that could have taken his head off to miss him by mere inches as it came crashing through the windshield of the truck he had used to hold himself in.

" John? John you can't do this. You don't know what you're about to do."

Cutting away the last bit of her scalp knowing fully well what is being hidden underneath this flap of skin peeling it away gently revealing a small port rearing back John jabs the screwdriver in his hand across the edge of the port and slowly pulls upward with all of his might to ease the pressure.

" Yes I do. You were gonna kill me."

" No, John you can't do this. You're not doing the right thing. This is not the right thing John. things are good now. Things are fine now. I've run a test. Things are good now. I'm fixed now."

They can't be bargained with. They can't be reasoned with. They don't show pity or remorse or fear and will not stop ever until you are dead. Lines that have been drilled into his head for as long as he can remember. The words that had been once spoken by his father to his mother during their brief hours together. Words that his mother had taken to heart and passed on down to him. But did he truly believe these words? He couldn't be too sure. Not since he had met her. This terminator in front of him now. Sometimes it was hard to remember that she is even a machine. Sometimes just for a brief moment she acted like a real girl. A real teenage girl. A girl that he could talk to. Talk about anything with. Even enjoy her company. Someone that has never left his side. Not once. But at times? At times she proved his father's words to be wrong. She could be bargained with. Could be reasoned with. She has kept all of his secrets that he has revealed to her between themselves. Has gone out of her way to assure that his mother didn't know about their almost encounter with Cromartie at school. But right now? Right now he didn't know what to believe. And his actions speak for themselves as he slows his pace down to look towards his protector seeing her eyes only trained on him as he ignores the sound of tires spinning from the truck keeping her pinned against another holding her arms firmly by her sides giving her no chance to escape.

" You can trust me. Everything's good now."

" What are you waiting for!?"

That voice? He knows that voice. A voice that breaks him out of his daze and turn to look over his shoulder finding his mother staring at him in disbelief while her eyes show nothing but anger. A mother always knows best. A slogan that has been used for so long but he never believed it. Never believed she knew what is best for him. All of the secrets that she has kept from him. All of the lies and deceit she has told him over the years. Some could say that in a sense she had become the very thing that she hates the most.

" She doesn't know. She doesn't understand. I'm good now. I'm good, I ran a test everything's perfect. I'm perfect ..."

" John!?"

With a tug as the sound of the port coming undone with a silent pop echoes instantly John's eyes go slightly wide when he sees Cameron turning her head to look towards his way with something he never thought he would ever see. Something that shouldn't be possible. It just couldn't be. Tears. Silent tears trickling down his protector's face. Tears that shouldn't be possible. He had been told so. _I know why you cry but it is something that I can never do._ The very last words ever spoken to him by Uncle Bob. A machine that truly broke barriers with everything that he had been taught. Much like her. Much like the terminator in front of him. One of a kind. A unique model. That's the way he always thought of her. Not exactly a machine but not really human either.

" I'm sorry for what I did. I'm sorry it wasn't me. You have to understand it wasn't me. You can't let this happen John. You can't! Please!? Please listen to me. I don't want to go. John please? John ...please,please? I'm good now. Listen to me, I don't want to go. I'm sorry. That wasn't me. I'm fixed now. Everything's perfect. You can trust me ..."

" John Connor!?"

" I love you! Please!? I love you John and you love me!"

Words that barely escape her mouth before his eyes go as wide as saucers. Words that deep down he knew were nothing but the truth. He does love her. He shouldn't but he does. Out of everyone that he has ever met in his life nobody could quite compare to her. Nobody was quite like Cameron Phillips. His protector that just looks at him with pleading eyes. Eyes that just stare at him while tears continue to leak out from her eyes. Impossible tears. Such tears that are barely being suppressed by his own eyes as he just stares into her own with his hands shaking. This was the moment. A moment that he knew deep down a choice needed to be made. But what to do? Should he do what his mind is telling him to do or go with his heart. A simple choice for him that causes shock to erupt through the intense scene transpiring before him right now.

* * *

Snapping up to a sitting position feeling nothing but cold sweat dripping down his forehead taking a couple of long deep breaths in an effort to control his rapid heartbeat that feels like his heart is going to pound out of his chest at any moment closing his eyes as he is just about to lean back and rest his head against his pillow prepared for another long sleepless night suddenly a hand gently coming down to rest against his forehead causes John to snap his eyes wide open and turn his head slightly finding Cameron sitting on the side of his bed looking down towards him with nothing but concern in her eyes.

" John? Are you okay?"

Unable to help himself before he even knows it reaching out gently John lays his hand down on Cameron's cheek and runs his thumb up and down her smooth skin. Skin that shows no sort of damage. Shows no signs of any recent injury. Had it been all a dream? Had he just dreamed all of it.

" John?"

Snapping out of his thoughts returning his full attention towards Cameron as he sees her just staring at him with her eyes occasionally glancing towards his hand with a tilted head unable to keep his cheeks from blushing suddenly John retracts his hand and looks away from her and down towards his lap not catching the disappointed look across her face from loss of contact.

" I'm okay. I just had a nightmare."

" Oh? Thank you for explaining."

Feeling the mattress shifting turning his gaze back upwards as he sees Cameron slowly making her way towards the open doorway of his room before he even knows it he blurts out.

" Wait."

Seeing that he has her full attention as she stops the moment the word escapes his lips by the open doorway taking a deep breathe slowly John lowers his gaze to look back down towards his lap.

" I need to tell you something."

Smiling over faintly turning on her heels to make her way silently back over towards him just as she sees his raising his gaze reaching out gently Cameron rubs John's cheek with the palm of her hand before to his surprise leans down to graze his lips with her own.

" I know."

Suddenly as his eyes go wide without having a chance to react John's eyes go wider when he sees Cameron's lips curl up into a smile but she nods her head over his shoulder.

" Now sleep. We'll talk more in the morning."


End file.
